Naira Life Vol 120

Good morning ☀️

This key themes in this week's stories are investment, migration, side hustles and financial sacrifices and trade offs.

There's a 37-year-old financial analyst with a ₦20 million investment portfolio. We have another story with a 26-year-old social worker who expresses love through gift-giving, even when her salary barely stretches. Also, we talked to five Nigerians who moved abroad and are learning new money systems.

Let’s get into the stories. 👇🏾

In this letter:

• #NairaLife: The Financial Analyst Who’s Built a ₦20m Net Worth With Investments
• Love Currency: This Social Worker Earning ₦110k/Month Expresses Her Love by Gifting
• 5 Nigerians Open Up on How Relocation Has Shifted Their Financial Realities
• Ask Aunty M: I need more money than my parents can give me. What should I do?
• Where The Money At?!

The 37-year-old in this #NairaLife makes money by advising people how to manage theirs, but ironically, he feels poor. His primary focus now is managing his ₦20m+ investment portfolio and scaling his startup to turn his finances around.

Your all-in-one money manager Moniger helps you to save money, manage your subscriptions, and track your expenses.

The only way Laura* (26) knows to show her boyfriend, Richard* (28), love is by spending her money on him.

For #LoveCurrency, she talks about her approach to gift-giving, her plans for Valentine’s Day, and why she doesn’t mind that Richard doesn’t reciprocate with gifts. Read the full story

Moving abroad is almost seen as a golden ticket to financial stability — higher earnings, a stronger currency, and a better quality of life. But beyond the surface, navigating money in a new country is often more complicated.

We spoke to five Nigerians who moved to the UK, Canada, and the US in the past five years about how migration has shaped their income, spending habits, and overall financial mindset. Read the full story here

I'm a second-year uni student, and my parents place me on a ₦100k monthly allowance. They also sort out my other school expenses, but the thing is, my allowance isn't enough for my basic needs. My rent increased a few months ago, and I'd have to squeeze some money from my allowance to pay the rent. I still have my feeding and other personal stuff to worry about, and I don't want to disturb my parents for more money — they have more than enough to worry about. I can make clothes, but how do I start that as a side hustle when people don't know I can do it? And how do I get steady clients? Also, my sewing machine is at my family's home. I don't want my parents to think they're not giving me enough; that's what they'll feel when they see me carrying my machine out of the house. - Precious, 21

Hi Precious,

Thanks for writing in! It's clear that you're very thoughtful and don't want to burden your parents…are you a firstborn? This has "first born" written all over it! You mentioned that you don't want your parents to think they're not giving you enough, but the reality is that they aren't giving you enough money to support yourself. This isn't any fault of their own; they may not know how much it costs you to survive with this new rent increase.

So, my first suggestion is to reach out to them honestly and plainly explain what is happening. It's not like you don't have enough money because you're frivolous; it's because of the situation on the ground, and if they're loving parents who are able to provide, they will help out. You can also explain to them that you want to start sewing to make up the difference so they can see your efforts as well.

Now let's assume that you will ignore all of that and get your sewing machine. Fine. Starting a business is first about bringing awareness about your services. Start with word of mouth, letting people know that you sew. You can make minor adjustments to clothes at school for free/discount so that people know about your services. You can also create a social media presence and wear your creations to get people to know more about you.

Second, you have to build a client base of paying customers, so figure out your pricing based on your ideal client. Since you are at school, I'm going to assume most of your clients will be other students. With that in mind, realise that you need to offer a price that is competitive to them. You can offer student discounts, promos, etc.

Remember to save some of your earnings once you're off the ground and making money. For example, 30% of everything you make goes to savings. I hope this helps.

Xoxo, Reni

• If you're here, you probably have a money or work dilemma. Ask your question and we'll figure out an actionable solution for you.

We can't say we're about the money and not actually help you find the money.

So we've compiled a list of job opportunities for you. Make sure you share this with anyone who might need it because in this community, we look out for each other.

Again, don’t mention. We gatchu.

• Talent Development Lead - Renmoney
• Head of Finance - Mainhedge
• Content Editor - Kuda
• Manager, Public Relations - Daystar
• 2026 KPMG Graduate Trainee
• Software Engineer (Frontend) - Cowrywise

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All good things must come to an end. But not this good thing. We’ll be back next week.

In the meantime, keep reading Zikoko’s articles and be sure to share the love.

See you next week...

Yours cashly,

Toheeb,

Zikoko's "OG" Mr. Money

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